About Me

I was a reporter and columnist for 40 years for a chain of newspapers in the suburbs of Chicago. I'm a military veteran having served in the United States Army Combat Engineers (Cpl. E-4) and a Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A major offensive against the Taliban has been launched in Afghanistan by U.S., NATO and Afghan troops. This video is an action-packed series of events involving Chosen Company of the 173rd Airborne. WARNING: The language is extremely colorful to say the least.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/hmEDe-UOGOE&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY THIS VIDEO

Thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops poured into Taliban-infested villages of southern Afghanistan with armor and helicopters Thursday in the first major operation under President Barack Obama's strategy to stabilize the country.

The offensive in the once-forgotten war was launched shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday local time in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and the world's largest opium poppy producing area. The goal is to clear insurgents from the hotly contested region before the nation's Aug. 20 presidential election.

Officials described the operation, dubbed Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," as the largest and fastest-moving of the war's new phase, involving nearly 4,000 of the newly arrived Marines and 650 Afghan forces. British forces last week led similar, but smaller, missions to clear out insurgents in Helmand and neighboring Kandahar provinces.

"Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces," Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson said in a statement.

This is an unusual video because it is made by a GI right in the middle of a battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan. The action is furious and the language is what you would expect in a firefight.TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERSWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/yzR81aDuED4&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

A platoon of U.S. Marines are seen in this video engaged in a deadly street battle in Iraq. Be sure to turn up your speakers to listen to Marines shouting out to each other in the heat of the battle.WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/8T7l8L4yoHM&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

The language in this video is as harsh as it can get, but this is WAR and not a video game and the video takes you right inside a U.S. Army vehicle and you get to see the turret gunner firing at the insurgents that have surrounded the vehicle during an ambush.TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERSWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/mH1X0SNVlkg&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

Video captures a unit of the 101st Airborne, Able Company, on an air assault into the dangerous mountains of Afghanistan. Keep your speakers turned up so you can hear the GIs communicating with each other.WATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/JE5vohS0mGU&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

This footage captures Viper Company in a brutal firefight with the Taliban in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. WARNING: Raw language.TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERSWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/sxAtKPdOBbM&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

Richard Engle is the NBC News Chief War Correspondent who manages to always be in the thick of a battle in Afghanistan or Iraq. In this video, Engle goes with Viper Company of Memorial Day into the dangerous Korengal Valley of Afghanistan in search of Taliban. TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERSWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/ygre1h106wA&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO